Tania Bruguera

Tania Bruguera, one of the leading political and performance artists of her generation, researches ways in which Art can be applied to the everyday political life; focusing on the transformation of the condition of "viewer" onto one of active "citizenry" and of social affect into political effectiveness. Her long‐term projects have been intensive interventions on the institutional structure of collective memory, education and politics. To define her practice she created and uses the terms arte de conducta (Conduct/Behavior Art), arte útil (Useful Art) and politicaltiming specific. Called a catalyst, Bruguera is highly regarded by artists, academics and political activists and organizations. Her art project of an art school for performance and political art in Havana inspired other similar institutions created in Latin America (to which she has served as advisor).

Bruguera has been invited as an expert to work with the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights to ensure artistic freedom to be presented at the United Nation's Human Rights Council in 2013; she was part of the originating group for Occupy Wall Street. She is curating a survey exhibition and book on Arte Útil at the Van Abbemuseum for autumn 2013 and is working on a book about her art terms in collaboration with Claire Bishop to be published by the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros's book series "Conversations." She is currently working on the political representation of migrants through her long‐term project Immigrant Movement International (conceived in 2005 and initiated in 2010). Bruguera's work is widely researched by leading art historians and young PhD candidates in United States, Europe and Latin America.

Her work is featured in seminal books like "Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism" by Hal Foster and Rosalind Kraus, Yve‐Alain Bois, Benjamin H. D. Buchloh and David Joselit; "Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present" by Roselee Goldberg both edited by Thames & Hudson; "Artificial Hells ‐ Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship," (cover image) by Claire Bishop edited by Verso, "Defining Contemporary Art – 25 years in 200 pivotal artworks" by Connie Butler, "Art Today" by Eleanor Heartney, "Cream 2" edited by Phaidon; "Art School (Propositions for the 21st Century)" by Steven Madoff edited by MIT; "Art Now. Vol 2" by Uta Grosenick edited by Tashen. Her works was featured at Artforum, Kunstforum, Texte Zur Kunst, Performance Research, Frieze, Art in America (cover image), Flash Art, Art News, Art Nexus, Beaux Arts, Oxford Journals, The New York Times, Le Monde, Los Angeles Times among others.

Tania Bruguera at the DAI:
Useful Art
Roaming Academy / goes New York